FitBit on the Case

A Connecticut woman was murdered and police have used new technology to solve the crime. Connie Dabate was found dead at the home she shared with her husband, Richard Dabate.

Richard told police that a man who resembled the actor Vin Diesel had broken into their home, tied him up, and then shot his wife dead. However, as police investigated the killing, they found that Mr. Dabate had been having an affair with a woman he had known for many years.

The other woman, who Dabate was seeing, became pregnant and Dabate allegedly wanted free of his marriage to be with the new woman. In text messages, he told the woman that he and his wife were both on the same page about getting a divorce.

While investigating, police, however, found loving text messages between the Dabates, which sparked their interest even further. They also found a message on Connie’s phone from a year earlier that said she was ready for a divorce.

Police records show that Richard Dabate had obtained a separate and private credit card with charges to a local strip club. He had also, allegedly, bought flowers and other gifts for his girlfriend using the same card.

But as police tracked Connie’s movements of that morning, the timeline wasn’t fitting with Richard Dabate’s story. CCTV footage shows her leaving the gym a little after 9 am, and her FitBit was idle as she drove home.

Once she arrived home, her FitBit stopped recording her movements once she went inside her house. Dabate told police that his wife had died an hour earlier, but Connie’s Facebook posts and her FitBit tell another story.

The local district attorney says the FitBit is a great tool for investigators to have at their disposal. “We can also get the information much faster than some other types of evidence such as DNA tests,” said Craig Stedman.